Paper apologises in court for false Reilly claims

The publishers of the Irish Mail on Sunday have apologised in the High Court to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, James Reilly, over an article which falsely linked him to a developer building a new public health clinic.

Charles Meenan, counsel for Dr Reilly, said the matter arose out of defamation proceedings brought over an October 7, 2012, article when his client was health minister.

The article claimed there were links between Dr Reilly and a developer building a HSE primary care centre in Swords, Dublin, arising out of a property transaction between the minister and the developer.

Tom Murphy, for the publishers Associated Newspapers and Associated Newspapers Ireland, read an apology to the court.

“This wholly incorrect statement was based on our mistaken belief that Land Registry title records show the date of the property sale, rather than the date on which the sale is logged by the Land Registry staff,” it stated.

“The Irish Mail on Sunday is now satisfied that Dr Reilly had no link to he developer of the clinic and acknowledges that this grave allegation was without foundation and should not have been made.”

The paper said it “deeply regrets” that the article was published ”.

Mr Meenan, for Dr Reilly, told Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley that, in those circumstances, the proceedings could be struck out.